Proclaiming Rationalism to the world…

The Crisis of Religion: Interview with Adebowale Ojowuro

Prominent African Atheist and author of the new release and flaming hot book – The Crisis of Religion: The Feral Excesses of the Gullibility of Man – laments in this interview: “All Africans are perplexed servants of foreign gods.”

Interview conducted by Echoes of CommonSense Editor, Nathalie Woods.

Adebowale Ojowuro, the radical author of The Crisis of Religion bears out his mind on a number of controversial issues regarding religious practices and politics in his native land – Nigeria. The erudite writer is very resolute in his conviction that religion has done more harm than good in Africa, he ignites yet another controversy by suggesting that the proponents of organized religion are undeniably responsible for the global economic recession and extreme poverty in Africa. “When it comes to the core troubles that recurrently afflict us in Africa, religion is the commander-in-chief, never at all the solution.” Echoes of Common Sense editor Nathalie Woods spoke with him about his provocative book “The Crisis of Religion: The Feral Excesses of the Gullibility of Man.” Have a splendid read!

Q: What’s your mission for writing The Crisis of Religion

My clear-cut mission for writing The Crisis of Religion is very frankly stated in the preface of the book. The foremost is to weaken the stronghold of organized religion in people’s lives; most especially in the lives of Africans. The fact cannot be denied that the fanatical flame of the faith mentality has dangerously engulfed the entire black race, breeding very awkward delusions for us to be contented with not understanding the world we live in.

Q: How do you plan to achieve this critical mission

It’s a colossal task, especially in a world that been under the dominant authority of religion for millennia of years. Nonetheless, I plan to follow the process gradually. As things stand now, all Africans have naively become perplexed servants to foreign Gods – the Arabian, Hindi, and the Jewish Gods, etc. Therefore, the first phase of this vital mission is to make the verification clearly evident to naive people of faith that the foundation of their core belief is grossly illicit and detrimental to the development of any civilized society, because it’s intrinsically founded upon chronic fallacies. This is exactly what I have convincingly done within the pages of The Crisis of Religion. That’s the core task of my mission – to expose those deceptive make-ups that formed the basis of dogmatic faiths – in that, such exposé will gradually stimulate people into embracing rationality and reason as a replacement for dogmatic belief system.

Q: Why are you opposed to religious practices

My reasons for opposing religion are very enormous; it’s practically not possible to itemize them all in this interview. I stand passionately in opposition to religion today, because it restricts my right and ability as a human being to think rationally and apply the power of my sensible judgments in the service of my vision.

Q: Could you briefly shed some more lights into other reasons you have for opposing religion

My other reasons are the horrific acts of evil that several people of faith have committed in the name of religion; including the self deceit that goes along with religious practices; and the extreme fallacies that are deeply rooted in those Holy Scriptures that give authorization to theocratic scammers to perpetrate pious trades in all corners of the world. Go to Nigeria and see how the religions of Christianity and Islam have become very perfect tools for countless Nigerian fraudsters to swindle and fleece the wallets of the gullible majority in their land.

Q: Do you think it’s fair to refer to all religions as con jobs, because Nigerian scammers have hijacked it for selfish ends in their own country

No, no, no! If you think it’s because of the Nigerian case, you mistook my point. What level of incredible con job could be more fraudulent than the scam of indoctrinating little kids into dogmatic beliefs? How else can anyone understand the programming of infants into believing that certain books that give account of ancient people in the Middle East were written in the handwriting of God himself; and to doubt or disbelieve the obvious absurdities in these books is a wilful sin that’s punishable with everlasting torment in a fiery furnace? The end result is that, long before these kids could know how to read and write and think logically, they already believe the fairy tales in those story books to be the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Even when they have genuine doubts about its authenticity as they grow up, they are just afraid to raise any question. They must simply believe or face the wrath of God in everlasting hellfire. Tell me, isn’t that an ignoble con job?

Q: Do you see your mission succeeding in Africa, especially in the face of high level of ignorance that’s prevalent in the continent

It’s not only about the case of complex ignorance, what’s most baffling is that it is increasingly becoming impossible in Africa to find any intellectual whose views have not been distorted and twisted out-of-order by religion. This is one of the aspects why I labelled theologians and professional preachers as incredible scammers. The high level of unemployment, poverty, and diseases that’s day in day out afflicting the black continent is another factor that has glued the adherence of Africans to religious practices. When people are hungry, they tend to hold this inverse belief in their heads that it is only God that can provide those foods for them in a factory that Okonkwo has established with drug or fraud money. The gullibility case in Africa is outlandish and very pathetic, and organized religion has really taken advantage of our wretched situation. I think if one persists in preaching the rational message, just as the Bhagavad-Gita, the Bible, and the Koran have been shoved down the throats of mankind repeatedly for millennia of years, perhaps, rationalism will begin to sink into people in Africa; because many of these people of faith have terribly experienced fatal disappointments with their faiths.

Q: How do you mean the people of faith have experienced terrible disappointments within their respective faiths

Well, the answer is not far-fetched! It’s just that people cannot think straight at all. Otherwise, the urge should be on the rise for theology to be eradicated from our learning institutions, because it’s the study of downright lies. It’s a practical example of how education has destroyed factual knowledge in the world. If you go to a country like Nigeria, my motherland; of course, you will not be able to differentiate which one is the greater narcotic between religion and illicit drugs. The evils of religious conflict emanating from devout madness, sectarian intolerance, ignorance, hates, and the acts of killing in the name of God are the insanities that now confront the so-called people of God in a country of countless number of churches and mosques. The present day Nigeria, under the dominant authority of organized religions, is a nation where anyone cannot differentiate the least disparity between the characters of the churched and the unchurched, the godly and the ungodly; which clearly portrays the disservice and numerous crises that dogmatic beliefs have burdened upon Africans. Discerning people can see these abject disappointments.

Q: What’s the reaction of Africans to your book

Majority of South Africans are receiving my message with liberal minds, and I think Secular Humanism will make significant advancement into Africa from this region if extensive awareness campaign is sustained. However, the job will not be particularly made easy by majority of church operators flocking into South Africa from Nigeria in the last couple of years to establish their lucrative religious trades in all corners of South African cities.

Q: I’ve recently read an article you posted on your facebook page – ‘Restoring Nigeria’s Misplaced Honour’ – where you lambasted successive Nigerian leaders without exception as “uncivilized”; don’t you fear you may be arrested if and when you go to your country

Haaah! They dare not arrest me! You see, as Thomas Paine once wrote, “The duty of a patriot is to protect his country from its government.” How can anyone arrest me for performing my civic duties? You’ve read the article, right? Do you think you’d be arrested in Britain for writing such a good stuff? Of course they dare not arrest me!

Q: And if they did?

That would be a grave mistake on their part, because they would have had no legitimate case against me, for the simple reason that I have plainly proclaimed the truth about our so-called leaders.

Q: I fear you may be arrested, given the long-standing record of human-right abuses, oppressions, and despotic tendencies that are prevalent in Nigeria

If they arrest me unjustly, that would be an abject betrayal of such uncivilized manner that is now the subject of our discussion.

Q: What’s your opinion regarding the Tony Blair vs. Christopher Hitchens’ recent topic for debate – “Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world”

The two eminent debaters were very articulate in their presentations. But I totally disagree with the points that Mr Blair advanced about religious charity. I honestly cannot see how religion can be a force for good in the world, simply because it engages in charity works with bloody hands.

Who says they don’t kill! Go to Nigeria and see the evidence of killing in the name of God for yourself. That’s when you will know how core dogma has made people become pretty much insane. The faith mentality also kills the human brains and minds from functioning properly.

Q: In a nutshell, you don’t agree that religion can be a force for good in the world

Not in this world, perhaps in their own imaginary world in heaven or hell! However, let no one rule it out completely; religion can definitely be a force for good in the world, but it moderators would, at least, have to give up three things. The first will be to renounce all supernatural claims, as Christopher Hitchens has rightly said. The second would be for all religions to insert the annotation at the head of their respective Holy Scriptures that, “All literary works and characters contained in this book are plainly works of fiction, except for some detached historical facts.” And the third, of course, is for all religious organizations to release into the global economy, those enormous resources they’ve been holding redundant in their vaults; only then can religion be a force for good in the world.

Q: Isn’t that a bunch of unrealistic condition

I am yet to see anything that can be so detrimental to global economy and, in fact, human survival in this modern age than this huge diversion of scarce resources – cash – by religious organization. What is there unrealistic in asking for redundant monies to be injected into an active global economy that’s fast dwindling? You’ve heard Tony Blair telling the whole world during the Munk Debate that the proponents of organized religions came together to use their influence to facilitate the cancellation of debts for poor African countries. Why didn’t they just pay off those debts on our behalf, just as they say their Jesus came into this world to repay their God on behalf of humankind for the sins he did not commit. Religion moderators are basically the architect of the current global economic recession the whole world currently suffers.

Q: Where can people find your book

The Crisis of Religion is available on several online bookstores around the world – Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Fishpond.com in Australia, Kalahari.net in South Africa, Kalahari.co.ke in Kenya, Kalahari.com.ng in Nigeria, NbcIndia.com, Infibeam.com, TheNile.com in New Zealand, Ibs.it in Italy, etc… The Kindle edition is also available on Amazon.com.

This is telling it as it really is. Your responses in this interview truly symbolized a clear example of how to tell the bitter truth directly to the people, even though they do not want to hear it. Terrific interview, Adebowale… I’ve really enjoyed every bit of it, exactly the same way I’ve enjoyed every chapter of The Crisis of Religion

Well said, Adebowale! I’ve read your book and posted a review of it to fishpond.com in Australia and Kalahari.net. Your book is amazingly courageous, thought provoking and well written. I especially enjoyed all the chapters contained in the book. I think the time has now come for the UN and other world bodies to take a serious look into the issue you raised about religious diversion of scarce resources, and beginto make plans for how these enormous amount of redundant monies can be recovered from the church and other religious organizations, and put into proper use in the global economy. Looking forward to the concluding part. Alan

Interesting man. Atheisim among Blacks is so rare. It is my position that here in the US the Black Man was freed from the bondage of slavery, but adopted servitude to the White Man’s Christian god in its stead.

To this day their churchs and shamans manipulate and control them in vast majorities. They pick their pocket, tell them how to vote, instill hatred for homosexuals (Blacks beiing more homophobic than any other group in the US), and feed them “prosperity gospel” as though their god controls their purse strings and standard of living.